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INFORMATIONAL
Updated by:5462
Network Working Group                                     S. Bryant, Ed.Request for Comments: 3985                                 Cisco SystemsCategory: Informational                                     P. Pate, Ed.                                                 Overture Networks, Inc.                                                              March 2005Pseudo Wire Emulation Edge-to-Edge (PWE3) ArchitectureStatus of This Memo   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this   memo is unlimited.Copyright Notice   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).Abstract   This document describes an architecture for Pseudo Wire Emulation   Edge-to-Edge (PWE3).  It discusses the emulation of services such as   Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet, TDM, and SONET/SDH over packet switched   networks (PSNs) using IP or MPLS.  It presents the architectural   framework for pseudo wires (PWs), defines terminology, and specifies   the various protocol elements and their functions.Table of Contents1.   Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21.1.  Pseudo Wire Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21.2.  PW Service Functionality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.3.  Non-Goals of This Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41.4.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.   PWE3 Applicability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63.   Protocol Layering Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63.1.  Protocol Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73.2.  Domain of PWE3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83.3.  Payload Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84.   Architecture of Pseudo Wires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114.1.  Network Reference Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124.2.  PWE3 Pre-processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124.3.  Maintenance Reference Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.4.  Protocol Stack Reference Model. . . . . . . . . . . . .17        4.5.  Pre-processing Extension to Protocol Stack Reference              Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.   PW Encapsulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 1]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20055.1.  Payload Convergence Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195.2.  Payload-independent PW Encapsulation Layers . . . . . .215.3.  Fragmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245.4.  Instantiation of the Protocol Layers. . . . . . . . . .246.   PW Demultiplexer Layer and PSN Requirements . . . . . . . . .276.1.  Multiplexing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276.2.  Fragmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286.3.  Length and Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286.4.  PW-PDU Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286.5.  Congestion Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287.   Control Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297.1.  Set-up or Teardown of Pseudo Wires. . . . . . . . . . .297.2.  Status Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307.3.  Notification of Pseudo Wire Status Changes. . . . . . .307.4.  Keep-alive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317.5.  Handling Control Messages of the Native Services. . . .328.   Management and Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328.1.  Status and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328.2.  PW SNMP MIB Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338.3.  Connection Verification and Traceroute. . . . . . . . .369.   IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3710.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3711.  Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3812.  References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3812.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3812.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3913.  Co-Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4014.  Editors' Addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41        Full Copyright Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421.  Introduction   This document describes an architecture for Pseudo Wire Emulation   Edge-to-Edge (PWE3) in support of [RFC3916].  It discusses the   emulation of services such as Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet, TDM, and   SONET/SDH over packet switched networks (PSNs) using IP or MPLS.  It   presents the architectural framework for pseudo wires (PWs), defines   terminology, and specifies the various protocol elements and their   functions.1.1.  Pseudo Wire Definition   PWE3 is a mechanism that emulates the essential attributes of a   telecommunications service (such as a T1 leased line or Frame Relay)   over a PSN.  PWE3 is intended to provide only the minimum necessary   functionality to emulate the wire with the required degree of   faithfulness for the given service definition.  Any required   switching functionality is the responsibility of a forwarder functionBryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 2]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   (FWRD).  Any translation or other operation needing knowledge of the   payload semantics is carried out by native service processing (NSP)   elements.  The functional definition of any FWRD or NSP elements is   outside the scope of PWE3.   The required functions of PWs include encapsulating service-specific   bit streams, cells, or PDUs arriving at an ingress port and carrying   them across an IP path or MPLS tunnel.  In some cases it is necessary   to perform other operations such as managing their timing and order,   to emulate the behavior and characteristics of the service to the   required degree of faithfulness.   From the perspective of Customer Edge Equipment (CE), the PW is   characterized as an unshared link or circuit of the chosen service.   In some cases, there may be deficiencies in the PW emulation that   impact the traffic carried over a PW and therefore limit the   applicability of this technology.  These limitations must be fully   described in the appropriate service-specific documentation.   For each service type, there will be one default mode of operation   that all PEs offering that service type must support.  However,   optional modes may be defined to improve the faithfulness of the   emulated service, if it can be clearly demonstrated that the   additional complexity associated with the optional mode is offset by   the value it offers to PW users.1.2.  PW Service Functionality   PWs provide the following functions in order to emulate the behavior   and characteristics of the native service.       o Encapsulation of service-specific PDUs or circuit data arriving         at the PE-bound port (logical or physical).       o Carriage of the encapsulated data across a PSN tunnel.       o Establishment of the PW, including the exchange and/or         distribution of the PW identifiers used by the PSN tunnel         endpoints.       o Managing the signaling, timing, order, or other aspects of the         service at the boundaries of the PW.       o Service-specific status and alarm management.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 3]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20051.3.  Non-Goals of This Document   The following are non-goals for this document:      o  The on-the-wire specification of PW encapsulations.      o  The detailed definition of the protocols involved in PW setup         and maintenance.   The following are outside the scope of PWE3:      o  Any multicast service not native to the emulated medium.  Thus,         Ethernet transmission to a "multicast" IEEE-48 address is in         scope, but multicast services such as MARS [RFC2022] that are         implemented on top of the medium are not.      o  Methods to signal or control the underlying PSN.1.4.  Terminology   This document uses the following definitions of terms.  These terms   are illustrated in context in Figure 2.   Attachment Circuit   The physical or virtual circuit attaching   (AC)                 a CE to a PE. An attachment Circuit may be, for                        example, a Frame Relay DLCI, an ATM VPI/VCI, an                        Ethernet port, a VLAN, a PPP connection on a                        physical interface, a PPP session from an L2TP                        tunnel, or an MPLS LSP.  If both physical and                        virtual ACs are of the same technology (e.g.,                        both ATM, both Ethernet, both Frame Relay), the                        PW is said to provide "homogeneous transport";                        otherwise, it is said to provide "heterogeneous                        transport".   CE-bound             The traffic direction in which PW-PDUs are                        received on a PW via the PSN, processed, and                        then sent to the destination CE.   CE Signaling         Messages sent and received by the CE's control                        plane.  It may be desirable or even necessary                        for the PE to participate in or to monitor this                        signaling in order to emulate the service                        effectively.   Control Word (CW)    A four-octet header used in some encapsulations                        to carry per-packet information when the PSN is                        MPLS.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 4]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Customer Edge (CE)   A device where one end of a service originates                        and/or terminates.  The CE is not aware that it                        is using an emulated service rather than a                        native service.   Forwarder (FWRD)     A PE subsystem that selects the PW to use in                        order to transmit a payload received on an AC.   Fragmentation        The action of dividing a single PDU into                        multiple PDUs before transmission with the                        intent of the original PDU being reassembled                        elsewhere in the network.  Packets may undergo                        fragmentation if they are larger than the MTU of                        the network they will traverse.   Maximum Transmission The packet size (excluding data link header)   unit (MTU)           that an interface can transmit without needing                        to fragment.   Native Service       Processing of the data received by the PE   Processing (NSP)     from the CE before presentation to the PW for                        transmission across the core, or processing of                        the data received from a PW by a PE before it is                        output on the AC.  NSP functionality is defined                        by standards bodies other than the IETF, such as                        ITU-T,ANSI, or ATMF.)   Packet Switched      Within the context of PWE3, this is a   Network (PSN)        network using IP or MPLS as the mechanism for                        packet forwarding.   PE-Bound             The traffic direction in which information from                        a CE is adapted to a PW, and PW-PDUs are sent                        into the PSN.   PE/PW Maintenance    Used by the PEs to set up, maintain, and tear                        down the PW.  It may be coupled with CE                        Signaling in order to manage the PW effectively.   Protocol Data        The unit of data output to, or received   Unit (PDU)           from, the network by a protocol layer.   Provider Edge (PE)   A device that provides PWE3 to a CE.   Pseudo Wire (PW)     A mechanism that carries the essential elements                        of an emulated service from one PE to one or                        more other PEs over a PSN.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 5]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Pseudo Wire          A mechanism that emulates the essential   Emulation Edge to    attributes of service (such as a T1 leased   Edge (PWE3)          line or Frame Relay) over a PSN.   Pseudo Wire PDU      A PDU sent on the PW that contains all of   (PW-PDU)             the data and control information necessary to                        emulate the desired service.   PSN Tunnel           A tunnel across a PSN, inside which one or more                        PWs can be carried.   PSN Tunnel           Used to set up, maintain, and tear down the   Signaling            underlying PSN tunnel.   PW Demultiplexer     Data-plane method of identifying a PW                        terminating at a PE.   Time Domain          Time Division Multiplexing.  Frequently used   Multiplexing (TDM)   to refer to the synchronous bit streams at rates                        defined by G.702.   Tunnel               A method of transparently carrying information                        over a network.2.  PWE3 Applicability   The PSN carrying a PW will subject payload packets to loss, delay,   delay variation, and re-ordering.  During a network transient there   may be a sustained period of impaired service.  The applicability of   PWE3 to a particular service depends on the sensitivity of that   service (or the CE implementation) to these effects, and on the   ability of the adaptation layer to mask them.  Some services, such as   IP over FR over PWE3, may prove quite resilient to IP and MPLS PSN   characteristics.  Other services, such as the interconnection of PBX   systems via PWE3, will require more careful consideration of the PSN   and adaptation layer characteristics.  In some instances, traffic   engineering of the underlying PSN will be required, and in some cases   the constraints may make the required service guarantees impossible   to provide.3.  Protocol Layering Model   The PWE3 protocol-layering model is intended to minimize the   differences between PWs operating over different PSN types.  The   design of the protocol-layering model has the goals of making each PW   definition independent of the underlying PSN, and of maximizing the   reuse of IETF protocol definitions and their implementations.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 6]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20053.1.  Protocol Layers   The logical protocol-layering model required to support a PW is shown   in Figure 1.          +---------------------------+          |         Payload           |          +---------------------------+          |      Encapsulation        | <==== may be empty          +---------------------------+          |     PW Demultiplexer      |          +---------------------------+          |     PSN Convergence       | <==== may be empty          +---------------------------+          |           PSN             |          +---------------------------+          |         Data-Link         |          +---------------------------+          |          Physical         |          +---------------------------+                    Figure 1.  Logical Protocol Layering Model   The payload is transported over the Encapsulation Layer.  The   Encapsulation Layer carries any information, not already present   within the payload itself, that is needed by the PW CE-bound PE   interface to send the payload to the CE via the physical interface.   If no further information is needed in the payload itself, this layer   is empty.   The Encapsulation Layer also provides support for real-time   processing, and if needed for sequencing.   The PW Demultiplexer layer provides the ability to deliver multiple   PWs over a single PSN tunnel.  The PW demultiplexer value used to   identify the PW in the data plane may be unique per PE, but this is   not a PWE3 requirement.  It must, however, be unique per tunnel   endpoint.  If it is necessary to identify a particular tunnel, then   that is the responsibility of the PSN layer.   The PSN Convergence layer provides the enhancements needed to make   the PSN conform to the assumed PSN service requirement.  Therefore,   this layer provides a consistent interface to the PW, making the PW   independent of the PSN type.  If the PSN already meets the service   requirements, this layer is empty.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 7]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   The PSN header, MAC/Data-Link, and Physical Layer definitions are   outside the scope of this document.  The PSN can be IPv4, IPv6, or   MPLS.3.2.  Domain of PWE3   PWE3 defines the Encapsulation Layer, the method of carrying various   payload types, and the interface to the PW Demultiplexer Layer.  It   is expected that the other layers will be provided by tunneling   methods such as L2TP or MPLS over the PSN.3.3.  Payload Types   The payload is classified into the following generic types of native   data units:       o Packet       o Cell       o Bit stream       o Structured bit stream   Within these generic types there are specific service types:       Generic Payload Type    PW Service       --------------------    ----------       Packet                  Ethernet (all types), HDLC framing,                               Frame Relay, ATM AAL5 PDU.       Cell                    ATM.       Bit stream              Unstructured E1, T1, E3, T3.       Structured bit stream   SONET/SDH (e.g., SPE, VT, NxDS0).3.3.1.  Packet Payload   A packet payload is a variable-size data unit delivered to the PE via   the AC.  A packet payload may be large compared to the PSN MTU.  The   delineation of the packet boundaries is encapsulation specific.  HDLC   or Ethernet PDUs can be considered examples of packet payloads.   Typically, a packet will be stripped of transmission overhead such as   HDLC flags and stuffing bits before transmission over the PW.   A packet payload would normally be relayed across the PW as a single   unit.  However, there will be cases where the combined size of the   packet payload and its associated PWE3 and PSN headers exceeds the   PSN path MTU.  In these cases, some fragmentation methodology has to   be applied.  This may, for example, be the case when a user providesBryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 8]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   the service and attaches to the service provider via Ethernet, or   when nested pseudo-wires are involved.  Fragmentation is discussed in   more detail insection 5.3.   A packet payload may need sequencing and real-time support.   In some situations, the packet payload may be selected from the   packets presented on the emulated wire on the basis of some sub-   multiplexing technique.  For example, one or more Frame Relay PDUs   may be selected for transport over a particular pseudo wire based on   the Frame Relay Data-Link Connection Identifier (DLCI), or, in the   case of Ethernet payloads, by using a suitable MAC bridge filter.   This is a forwarder function, and this selection would therefore be   made before the packet was presented to the PW Encapsulation Layer.3.3.2.  Cell Payload   A cell payload is created by capturing, transporting, and replaying   groups of octets presented on the wire in a fixed-size format.  The   delineation of the group of bits that comprise the cell is specific   to the encapsulation type.  Two common examples of cell payloads are   ATM 53-octet cells, and the larger 188-octet MPEG Transport Stream   packets [DVB].   To reduce per-PSN packet overhead, multiple cells may be concatenated   into a single payload.  The Encapsulation Layer may consider the   payload complete on the expiry of a timer, after a fixed number of   cells have been received or when a significant cell (e.g., an ATM OAM   cell) has been received.  The benefit of concatenating multiple PDUs   should be weighed against a possible increase in packet delay   variation and the larger penalty incurred by packet loss.  In some   cases, it may be appropriate for the Encapsulation Layer to perform   some type of compression, such as silence suppression or voice   compression.   The generic cell payload service will normally need sequence number   support and may also need real-time support.  The generic cell   payload service would not normally require fragmentation.   The Encapsulation Layer may apply some form of compression to some of   these sub-types (e.g., idle cells may be suppressed).   In some instances, the cells to be incorporated in the payload may be   selected by filtering them from the stream of cells presented on the   wire.  For example, an ATM PWE3 service may select cells based on   their VCI or VPI fields.  This is a forwarder function, and the   selection would therefore be made before the packet was presented to   the PW Encapsulation Layer.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                     [Page 9]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20053.3.3.  Bit Stream   A bit stream payload is created by capturing, transporting, and   replaying the bit pattern on the emulated wire, without taking   advantage of any structure that, on inspection, may be visible within   the relayed traffic (i.e., the internal structure has no effect on   the fragmentation into packets).   In some instances it is possible to apply suppression to bit streams.   For example, E1 and T1 send "all-ones" to indicate failure.  This   condition can be detected without any knowledge of the structure of   the bit stream, and transmission of packetized can be data   suppressed.   This service will require sequencing and real-time support.3.3.4.  Structured Bit Stream   A structured bit stream payload is created by using some knowledge of   the underlying structure of the bit stream to capture, transport, and   replay the bit pattern on the emulated wire.   Two important points distinguish structured and unstructured bit   streams:       o Some parts of the original bit stream may be stripped in the         PSN-bound direction by an NSP block.  For example, in         Structured SONET the section and line overhead (and possibly         more) may be stripped.  A framer is required to enable such         stripping.  It is also required for frame/payload alignment for         fractional T1/E1 applications.       o The PW must preserve the structure across the PSN so that the         CE-bound NSP block can insert it correctly into the         reconstructed unstructured bit stream.  The stripped         information (such as SONET pointer justifications) may appear         in the encapsulation layer to facilitate this reconstitution.   As an option, the Encapsulation Layer may also perform silence/idle   suppression or similar compression on a structured bit stream.   Structured bit streams are distinguished from cells in that the   structures may be too long to be carried in a single packet.  Note   that "short" structures are indistinguishable from cells and may   benefit from the use of methods described insection 3.3.2.   This service requires sequencing and real-time support.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 10]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20053.3.5.  Principle of Minimum Intervention   To minimize the scope of information, and to improve the efficiency   of data flow through the Encapsulation Layer, the payload should be   transported as received, with as few modifications as possible   [RFC1958].   This minimum intervention approach decouples payload development from   PW development and requires fewer translations at the NSP in a system   with similar CE interfaces at each end.  It also prevents unwanted   side effects due to subtle misrepresentation of the payload in the   intermediate format.   An approach that does intervene can be more wire efficient in some   cases and may result in fewer translations at the NSP whereby the CE   interfaces are of different types.  Any intermediate format   effectively becomes a new framing type, requiring documentation and   assured interoperability.  This increases the amount of work for   handling the protocol that the intermediate format carries and is   undesirable.4.  Architecture of Pseudo Wires   This section describes the PWE3 architectural model.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 11]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20054.1.  Network Reference Model   Figure 2 illustrates the network reference model for point-to-point   PWs.            |<-------------- Emulated Service ---------------->|            |                                                  |            |          |<------- Pseudo Wire ------>|          |            |          |                            |          |            |          |    |<-- PSN Tunnel -->|    |          |            |          V    V                  V    V          |            V    AC    +----+                  +----+     AC   V      +-----+    |     | PE1|==================| PE2|     |    +-----+      |     |----------|............PW1.............|----------|     |      | CE1 |    |     |    |                  |    |     |    | CE2 |      |     |----------|............PW2.............|----------|     |      +-----+  ^ |     |    |==================|    |     | ^  +-----+            ^  |       +----+                  +----+     | |  ^            |  |   Provider Edge 1         Provider Edge 2  |  |            |  |                                            |  |      Customer |                                            | Customer      Edge 1   |                                            | Edge 2               |                                            |               |                                            |         Native service                               Native service                   Figure 2.  PWE3 Network Reference Model   The two PEs (PE1 and PE2) have to provide one or more PWs on behalf   of their client CEs (CE1 and CE2) to enable the client CEs to   communicate over the PSN.  A PSN tunnel is established to provide a   data path for the PW.  The PW traffic is invisible to the core   network, and the core network is transparent to the CEs.  Native data   units (bits, cells, or packets) arrive via the AC, are encapsulated   in a PW-PDU, and are carried across the underlying network via the   PSN tunnel.  The PEs perform the necessary encapsulation and   decapsulation of PW-PDUs and handle any other functions required by   the PW service, such as sequencing or timing.4.2.  PWE3 Pre-processing   Some applications have to perform operations on the native data units   received from the CE (including both payload and signaling traffic)   before they are transmitted across the PW by the PE.  Examples   include Ethernet bridging, SONET cross-connect, translation of   locally-significant identifiers such as VCI/VPI, or translation to   another service type.  These operations could be carried out in   external equipment, and the processed data could be sent to the PEBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 12]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   over one or more physical interfaces.  In most cases, could be in   undertaking these operations within the PE provides cost and   operational benefits.  Processed data is then presented to the PW via   a virtual interface within the PE.  These pre-processing operations   are included in the PWE3 reference model to provide a common   reference point, but the detailed description of these operations is   outside the scope of the PW definition given here.                       PW                    End Service                        |                        |<------- Pseudo Wire ------>|                        |                            |                        |    |<-- PSN Tunnel -->|    |                        V    V                  V    V     PW                  +-----+----+                  +----+ End Service       +-----+    |PREP | PE1|==================| PE2|     |    +-----+       |     |    |     |............PW1.............|----------|     |       | CE1 |----|     |    |                  |    |     |    | CE2 |       |     | ^  |     |............PW2.............|----------|     |       +-----+ |  |     |    |==================|    |     | ^  +-----+               |  +-----+----+                  +----+     | |               |        ^                                  | |               |        |                                  | |               |        |<------- Emulated Service ------->| |               |        |                                    |               | Virtual physical                            |               |  termination                                |               |        ^                                    |          CE1 native    |                                CE2 native           service      |                                service                        |                   CE2 native                    service       Figure 3.  Pre-processing within the PWE3 Network Reference Model   Figure 3 shows the interworking of one PE with pre-processing (PREP),   and a second without this functionality.  This reference point   emphasizes that the functional interface between PREP and the PW is   that represented by a physical interface carrying the service.  This   effectively defines the necessary inter-working specification.   The operation of a system in which both PEs include PREP   functionality is also supported.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 13]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   The required pre-processing can be divided into two components:       o Forwarder (FWRD)       o Native Service Processing (NSP)4.2.1.  Forwarders   Some applications have to forward payload elements selectively from   one or more ACs to one or more PWs.  In such cases, there will also be   a need to perform the inverse function on PWE3-PDUs received by a PE   from the PSN.  This is the function of the forwarder.   The forwarder selects the PW based on, for example, the incoming AC,   the contents of the payload, or some statically and/or dynamically   configured forwarding information.               +----------------------------------------+               |                PE Device               |               +----------------------------------------+        Single |                 |                      |        AC     |                 |        Single        | PW Instance       <------>o   Forwarder     +      PW Instance     X<===========>               |                 |                      |               +----------------------------------------+                   Figure 4a.  Simple Point-to-Point Service               +----------------------------------------+               |                PE Device               |               +----------------------------------------+       Multiple|                 |        Single        | PW Instance       AC      |                 +      PW Instance     X<===========>       <------>o                 |                      |               |                 |----------------------|       <------>o                 |        Single        | PW Instance               |    Forwarder    +      PW Instance     X<===========>       <------>o                 |                      |               |                 |----------------------|       <------>o                 |        Single        | PW Instance               |                 +      PW Instance     X<===========>       <------>o                 |                      |               +----------------------------------------+               Figure 4b.  Multiple AC to Multiple PW Forwarding   Figure 4a shows a simple forwarder that performs some type of   filtering operation.  Because the forwarder has a single input and a   single output interface, filtering is the only type of forwardingBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 14]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   operation that applies.  Figure 4b shows a more general forwarding   situation where payloads are extracted from one or more ACs and   directed to one or more PWs.  In this case filtering, direction, and   combination operations may be performed on the payloads.  For   example, if the AC were Frame Relay, the forwarder might perform   Frame Relay switching and the PW instances might be the inter-switch   links.4.2.2.  Native Service Processing   Some applications required some form of data or address translation,   or some other operation requiring knowledge of the semantics of the   payload.  This is the function of the Native Service Processor (NSP).   The use of the NSP approach simplifies the design of the PW by   restricting a PW to homogeneous operation.  NSP is included in the   reference model to provide a defined interface to this functionality.   The specification of the various types of NSP is outside the scope of   PWE3.                +----------------------------------------+                |                PE Device               |        Multiple+----------------------------------------+        AC      |      |          |        Single        | PW Instance        <------>o  NSP #          +      PW Instance     X<===========>                |      |          |                      |                |------|          |----------------------|                |      |          |        Single        | PW Instance        <------>o  NSP #Forwarder +      PW Instance     X<===========>                |      |          |                      |                |------|          |----------------------|                |      |          |        Single        | PW Instance        <------>o  NSP #          +      PW Instance     X<===========>                |      |          |                      |                +----------------------------------------+          Figure 5.  NSP in a Multiple AC to Multiple PW Forwarding PE   Figure 5 illustrates the relationship between NSP, forwarder, and PWs   in a PE.  The NSP function may apply any transformation operation   (modification, injection, etc.) on the payloads as they pass between   the physical interface to the CE and the virtual interface to the   forwarder.  These transformation operations will, of course, be   limited to those that have been implemented in the data path, and   that are enabled by the PE configuration.  A PE device may contain   more than one forwarder.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 15]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   This model also supports the operation of a system in which the NSP   functionality includes terminating the data-link, and the application   of Network Layer processing to the payload.4.3.  Maintenance Reference Model   Figure 6 illustrates the maintenance reference model for PWs.             |<------- CE (end-to-end) Signaling ------>|             |     |<---- PW/PE Maintenance ----->|     |             |     |     |<-- PSN Tunnel -->|     |     |             |     |     |    Signaling     |     |     |             |     V     V  (out of scope)  V     V     |             v     +-----+                  +-----+     v       +-----+     | PE1 |==================| PE2 |     +-----+       |     |-----|.............PW1..............|-----|     |       | CE1 |     |     |                  |     |     | CE2 |       |     |-----|.............PW2..............|-----|     |       +-----+     |     |==================|     |     +-----+                   +-----+                  +-----+       Customer   Provider                 Provider     Customer        Edge 1     Edge 1                   Edge 2       Edge 2                  Figure 6.  PWE3 Maintenance Reference Model   The following signaling mechanisms are required:       o The CE (end-to-end) signaling is between the CEs.  This         signaling could be Frame Relay PVC status signaling, ATM SVC         signaling, TDM CAS signaling, etc.       o The PW/PE Maintenance is used between the PEs (or NSPs) to set         up, maintain, and tear down PWs, including any required         coordination of parameters.       o The PSN Tunnel signaling controls the PW multiplexing and some         elements of the underlying PSN.  Examples are L2TP control         protocol, MPLS LDP, and RSVP-TE.  The definition of the         information that PWE3 needs signaled is within the scope of         PWE3, but the signaling protocol itself is not.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 16]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20054.4.  Protocol Stack Reference Model   Figure 7 illustrates the protocol stack reference model for PWs.    +-----------------+                           +-----------------+    |Emulated Service |                           |Emulated Service |    |(e.g., TDM, ATM) |<==== Emulated Service ===>|(e.g., TDM, ATM) |    +-----------------+                           +-----------------+    |    Payload      |                           |    Payload      |    |  Encapsulation  |<====== Pseudo Wire ======>|  Encapsulation  |    +-----------------+                           +-----------------+    |PW Demultiplexer |                           |PW Demultiplexer |    |   PSN Tunnel,   |<======= PSN Tunnel ======>|  PSN Tunnel,    |    | PSN & Physical  |                           | PSN & Physical  |    |     Layers      |                           |    Layers       |    +-------+---------+        ___________        +---------+-------+            |                /             \                |            +===============/     PSN       \===============+                            \               /                             \_____________/               Figure 7.  PWE3 Protocol Stack Reference Model   The PW provides the CE with an emulated physical or virtual   connection to its peer at the far end.  Native service PDUs from the   CE are passed through an Encapsulation Layer at the sending PE and   then sent over the PSN.  The receiving PE removes the encapsulation   and restores the payload to its native format for transmission to the   destination CE.4.5.  Pre-processing Extension to Protocol Stack Reference Model   Figure 8 illustrates how the protocol stack reference model is   extended to include the provision of pre-processing (forwarding and   NSP).  This shows the placement of the physical interface relative to   the CE.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 17]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005     /======================================\     H             Forwarder                H<----Pre-processing     H----------------======================/     H Native Service H   |                 |     H  Processing    H   |                 |     \================/   |                 |     |                |   | Emulated        |     | Service        |   | Service         |     | Interface      |   | (TDM, ATM,      |     | (TDM, ATM,     |   | Ethernet,       |<== Emulated Service ==     | Ethernet,      |   | Frame Relay,    |     | Frame Relay,   |   | etc.)           |     | etc.)          |   +-----------------+     |                |   |    Payload      |     |                |   | Encapsulation   |<=== Pseudo Wire ======     |                |   +-----------------+     |                |   |PW Demultiplexer |     |                |   |  PSN Tunnel,    |     |                |   | PSN & Physical  |<=== PSN Tunnel =======     |                |   |    Headers      |     +----------------+   +-----------------+     |   Physical     |   |   Physical      |     +-------+--------+   +-------+---------+             |                    |             |                    |             |                    |             |                    |             |                    |             |                    |   To CE <---+                    +---> To PSN       Figure 8.  Protocol Stack Reference Model with Pre-processing5.  PW Encapsulation   The PW Encapsulation Layer provides the necessary infrastructure to   adapt the specific payload type being transported over the PW to the   PW Demultiplexer Layer used to carry the PW over the PSN.   The PW Encapsulation Layer consists of three sub-layers:       o Payload Convergence       o Timing       o Sequencing   The PW Encapsulation sub-layering and its context with the protocol   stack are shown in Figure 9.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 18]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005          +---------------------------+          |         Payload           |          /===========================\ <------ Encapsulation          H    Payload Convergence    H         Layer          H---------------------------H          H          Timing           H          H---------------------------H          H        Sequencing         H          \===========================/          |     PW Demultiplexer      |          +---------------------------+          |     PSN Convergence       |          +---------------------------+          |           PSN             |          +---------------------------+          |         Data-Link         |          +---------------------------+          |          Physical         |          +---------------------------+                  Figure 9.  PWE3 Encapsulation Layer in Context   The Payload Convergence sub-layer is highly tailored to the specific   payload type.  However grouping a number of target payload types into   a generic class, and then providing a single convergence sub-layer   type common to the group, reduces the number of payload convergence   sub-layer types.  This decreases implementation complexity.  The   provision of per-packet signaling and other out-of-band information   (other than sequencing or timing) is undertaken by this layer.   The Timing and Sequencing Layers provide generic services to the   Payload Convergence Layer for all payload types that require them.5.1.  Payload Convergence Layer5.1.1.  Encapsulation   The primary task of the Payload Convergence Layer is the   encapsulation of the payload in PW-PDUs.  The native data units to be   encapsulated may contain an L2 header or L1 overhead.  This is   service specific.  The Payload Convergence header carries the   additional information needed to replay the native data units at the   CE-bound physical interface.  The PW Demultiplexer header is not   considered part of the PW header.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 19]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Not all the additional information needed to replay the native data   units have to be carried in the PW header of the PW PDUs.  Some   information (e.g., service type of a PW) may be stored as state   information at the destination PE during PW set up.5.1.2.  PWE3 Channel Types   The PW Encapsulation Layer and its associated signaling require one   or more of the following types of channels from its underlying PW   Demultiplexer and PSN Layers (channel type 1 plus one or more of   channel types 2 through 4):   1. A reliable control channel for signaling line events, status      indications, and, in exceptional cases, CE-CE events that must be      translated and sent reliably between PEs.  PWE3 may need this type      of control channel to provide faithful emulation of complex data-      link protocols.   2. A high-priority, unreliable, sequenced channel.  A typical use is      for CE-to-CE signaling.  "High priority" may simply be indicated      via the DSCP bits for IP or the EXP bits for MPLS, giving the      packet priority during transit.  This channel type could also use      a bit in the tunnel header itself to indicate that packets      received at the PE should be processed with higher priority      [RFC2474].   3. A sequenced channel for data traffic that is sensitive to packet      reordering (one classification for use could be for any non-IP      traffic).   4. An unsequenced channel for data traffic insensitive to packet      order.   The data channels (2, 3, and 4 above) should be carried "in band"   with one another to as much of a degree as is reasonably possible on   a PSN.   Where end-to-end connectivity may be disrupted by address translation   [RFC3022], access-control lists, firewalls, etc., the control channel   may be able to pass traffic and setup the PW, while the PW data   traffic is blocked by one or more of these mechanisms.  In these   cases unless the control channel is also carried "in band", the   signaling to set up the PW will not confirm the existence of an end-   to-end data path.  In some cases there is a need to synchronize CE   events with the data carried over a PW.  This is especially the caseBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 20]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   with TDM circuits (e.g., the on-hook/off-hook events in PSTN switches   might be carried over a reliable control channel whereas the   associated bit stream is carried over a sequenced data channel).   PWE3 channel types that are not needed by the supported PWs need not   be included in such an implementation.5.1.3.  Quality of Service Considerations   Where possible, it is desirable to employ mechanisms to provide PW   Quality of Service (QoS) support over PSNs.5.2.  Payload-Independent PW Encapsulation Layers   Two PWE3 Encapsulation sub-layers provide common services to all   payload types: Sequencing and Timing.  These services are optional   and are only used if a particular PW instance needs them.  If the   service is not needed, the associated header may be omitted in order   to conserve processing and network resources.   Sometimes a specific payload type will require transport with or   without sequence and/or real-time support.  For example, an invariant   of Frame Relay transport is the preservation of packet order.  Some   Frame Relay applications expect delivery in order and may not cope   with reordering of the frames.  However, where the Frame Relay   service is itself only being used to carry IP, it may be desirable to   relax this constraint to reduce per-packet processing cost.   The guiding principle is that, when possible, an existing IETF   protocol should be used to provide these services.  When a suitable   protocol is not available, the existing protocol should be extended   or modified to meet the PWE3 requirements, thereby making that   protocol available for other IETF uses.  In the particular case of   timing, more than one general method may be necessary to provide for   the full scope of payload timing requirements.5.2.1.  Sequencing   The sequencing function provides three services: frame ordering,   frame duplication detection, and frame loss detection.  These   services allow the emulation of the invariant properties of a   physical wire.  Support for sequencing depends on the payload type   and may be omitted if it is not needed.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 21]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   The size of the sequence-number space depends on the speed of the   emulated service, and on the maximum time of the transient conditions   in the PSN.  A sequence number space greater than 2^16 may therefore   be needed to prevent the sequence number space from wrapping during   the transient.5.2.1.1.  Frame Ordering   When packets carrying the PW-PDUs traverse a PSN, they may arrive out   of order at the destination PE.  For some services, the frames   (control frames, data frames, or both) must be delivered in order.   For these services, some mechanism must be provided for ensuring in-   order delivery.  Providing a sequence number in the sequence sub-   layer header for each packet is one possible approach.   Alternatively, it can be noted that sequencing is a subset of the   problem of delivering timed packets, and that a single combined   mechanism such as [RFC3550] may be employed.   There are two possible misordering strategies:       o Drop misordered PW PDUs.       o Try to sort PW PDUs into the correct order.   The choice of strategy will depend on       o how critical the loss of packets is to the operation of the PW         (e.g., the acceptable bit error rate),       o the speeds of the PW and PSN,       o the acceptable delay (as delay must be introduced to reorder),         and       o the expected incidence of misordering.5.2.1.2.  Frame Duplication Detection   In rare cases, packets traversing a PW may be duplicated by the   underlying PSN.  For some services, frame duplication is not   acceptable.  For these services, some mechanism must be provided to   ensure that duplicated frames will not be delivered to the   destination CE.  The mechanism may be the same as that used to ensure   in-order frame delivery.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 22]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20055.2.1.3.  Frame Loss Detection   A destination PE can determine whether a frame has been lost by   tracking the sequence numbers of the PW PDUs received.   In some instances, if a PW PDU fails to arrive within a certain time,   a destination PE will have to presume that it is lost.  If a PW-PDU   that has been processed as lost subsequently arrives, the destination   PE must discard it.5.2.2.  Timing   A number of native services have timing expectations based on the   characteristics of the networks they were designed to travel over.   The emulated service may have to duplicate these network   characteristics as closely as possible: e.g., in delivering native   traffic with bitrate, jitter, wander, and delay characteristics   similar to those received at the sending PE.   In such cases, the receiving PE has to play out the native traffic as   it was received at the sending PE.  This relies on timing information   either sent between the two PEs, or in some cases received from an   external reference.   Therefore, Timing Sub-layer must support two timing functions:  clock   recovery and timed payload delivery.  A particular payload type may   require either or both of these services.5.2.2.1.  Clock Recovery   Clock recovery is the extraction of output transmission bit timing   information from the delivered packet stream, and it requires a   suitable mechanism.  A physical wire carries the timing information   natively, but extracting timing from a highly jittered source, such   as packet stream, is a relatively complex task.  Therefore, it is   desirable that an existing real-time protocol such as [RFC3550] be   used for this purpose, unless it can be shown that this is unsuitable   or unnecessary for a particular payload type.5.2.2.2.  Timed Delivery   Timed delivery is the delivery of non-contiguous PW PDUs to the PW   output interface with a constant phase relative to the input   interface.  The timing of the delivery may be relative to a clock   derived from the packet stream received over the PSN clock recovery,   or to an external clock.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 23]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20055.3.  Fragmentation   Ideally, a payload would be relayed across the PW as a single unit.   However, there will be cases where the combined size of the payload   and its associated PWE3 and PSN headers will exceed the PSN path MTU.   When a packet size exceeds the MTU of a given network, fragmentation   and reassembly have to be performed for the packet to be delivered.   Since fragmentation and reassembly generally consume considerable   network resources, as compared to simply switching a packet in its   entirety, the need for fragmentation and reassembly throughout a   network should be reduced or eliminated to the extent possible.  Of   particular concern for fragmentation and reassembly are aggregation   points where large numbers of PWs are processed (e.g., at the PE).   Ideally, the equipment originating the traffic sent over the PW will   have adaptive measures in place (e.g., [RFC1191], [RFC1981]) that   ensure that packets needing to be fragmented are not sent.  When this   fails, the point closest to the sending host with fragmentation and   reassembly capabilities should attempt to reduce the size of packets   to satisfy the PSN MTU.  Thus, in the reference model for PWE3   (Figure 3), fragmentation should first be performed at the CE if   possible.  Only if the CE cannot adhere to an acceptable MTU size for   the PW should the PE attempt its own fragmentation method.   In cases where MTU management fails to limit the payload to a size   suitable for transmission of the PW, the PE may fall back to either a   generic PW fragmentation method or, if available, the fragmentation   service of the underlying PSN.   It is acceptable for a PE implementation not to support   fragmentation.  A PE that does not will drop packets that exceed the   PSN MTU, and the management plane of the encapsulating PE may be   notified.   If the length of a L2/L1 frame, restored from a PW PDU, exceeds the   MTU of the destination AC, it must be dropped.  In this case, the   management plane of the destination PE may be notified.5.4.  Instantiation of the Protocol Layers   This document does not address the detailed mapping of the Protocol   Layering model to existing or future IETF standards.  The   instantiation of the logical Protocol Layering model is shown in   Figure 9.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 24]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20055.4.1.  PWE3 over an IP PSN   The protocol definition of PWE3 over an IP PSN should employ existing   IETF protocols where possible.       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+       |      Payload        |------------->| Raw payload if possible |       /=====================\              +-------------------------+       H Payload Convergence H-----------+->|     Flags, seq #, etc.  |       H---------------------H          /   +-------------------------+       H       Timing        H---------/--->|            RTP          |       H---------------------H        /     +-------------+           |       H     Sequencing      H----one of    |             |       \=====================/        \     |             +-----------+       |  PW Demultiplexer   |---------+--->|     L2TP, MPLS, etc.    |       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+       |  PSN Convergence    |------------->|       Not needed        |       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+       |        PSN          |------------->|            IP           |       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+       |      Data-Link      |------------->|         Data-link       |       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+       |       Physical      |------------->|          Physical       |       +---------------------+              +-------------------------+                        Figure 10.  PWE3 over an IP PSN   Figure 10 shows the protocol layering for PWE3 over an IP PSN.  As a   rule, the payload should be carried as received from the NSP, with   the Payload Convergence Layer provided when needed.  However, in   certain circumstances it may be justifiable to transmit the payload   in some processed form.  The reasons for this must be documented in   the Encapsulation Layer definition for that payload type.   Where appropriate, explicit timing is provided by RTP [RFC3550],   which, when used, also provides a sequencing service.  When the PSN   is UDP/IP, the RTP header follows the UDP header and precedes the PW   control field.  For all other cases the RTP header follows the PW   control header.   The encapsulation layer may additionally carry a sequence number.   Sequencing is to be provided either by RTP or by the PW encapsulation   layer, but not by both.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 25]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   PW Demultiplexing is provided by the PW label, which may take the   form specified in a number of IETF protocols;  e.g., an MPLS label   [MPLSIP], an L2TP session ID [RFC3931], or a UDP port number   [RFC768].  When PWs are carried over IP, the PSN Convergence Layer   will not be needed.   As a special case, if the PW Demultiplexer is an MPLS label, the   protocol architecture ofsection 5.4.2 can be used instead of the   protocol architecture of this section.5.4.2.  PWE3 over an MPLS PSN   The MPLS ethos places importance on wire efficiency.  By using a   control word, some components of the PWE3 protocol layers can be   compressed to increase this efficiency.   +---------------------+   |      Payload        |   /=====================\   H Payload Convergence H--+   H---------------------H  |       +--------------------------------+   H       Timing        H--------->|              RTP               |   H---------------------H  |       +--------------------------------+   H     Sequencing      H--+------>| Flags, Frag, Len, Seq #, etc   |   \=====================/  |       +--------------------------------+   |  PW Demultiplexer   |--------->|           PW Label             |   +---------------------+  |       +--------------------------------+   |  PSN Convergence    |--+  +--->| Outer Label or MPLS-in-IP encap|   +---------------------+     |    +--------------------------------+   |        PSN          |-----+   +---------------------+   |      Data-Link      |   +---------------------+   |       Physical      |   +---------------------+          Figure 11.  PWE3 over an MPLS PSN Using a Control Word   Figure 11 shows the protocol layering for PWE3 over an MPLS PSN.  An   inner MPLS label is used to provide the PW demultiplexing function.   A control word is used to carry most of the information needed by the   PWE3 Encapsulation Layer and the PSN Convergence Layer in a compact   format.  The flags in the control word provide the necessary payload   convergence.  A sequence field provides support for both in-order   payload delivery and a PSN fragmentation service within the PSN   Convergence Layer (supported by a fragmentation control method).   Ethernet pads all frames to a minimum size of 64 bytes.  The MPLS   header does not include a length indicator.  Therefore, to allow PWE3Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 26]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   to be carried in MPLS to pass correctly over an Ethernet data-link, a   length correction field is needed in the control word.  As with an IP   PSN, where appropriate, timing is provided by RTP [RFC3550].   In some networks, it may be necessary to carry PWE3 over MPLS over   IP.  In these circumstances, the PW is encapsulated for carriage over   MPLS as described in this section, and then a method of carrying MPLS   over an IP PSN (such as GRE [RFC2784], [RFC2890]) is applied to the   resultant PW-PDU.5.4.3.  PW-IP Packet Discrimination   For MPLS PSNs, there is an additional constraint on the PW packet   format.  Some label switched routers detect IP packets based on the   initial four bits of the packet content.  To facilitate proper   functioning, these bits in PW packets must not be the same as an IP   version number in current use.6.  PW Demultiplexer Layer and PSN Requirements   PWE3 places three service requirements on the protocol layers used to   carry it across the PSN:       o Multiplexing       o Fragmentation       o Length and Delivery6.1.  Multiplexing   The purpose of the PW Demultiplexer Layer is to allow multiple PWs to   be carried in a single tunnel.  This minimizes complexity and   conserves resources.   Some types of native service are capable of grouping multiple   circuits into a "trunk"; e.g., multiple ATM VCs in a VP, multiple   Ethernet VLANs on a physical media, or multiple DS0 services within a   T1 or E1.  A PW may interconnect two end-trunks.  That trunk would   have a single multiplexing identifier.   When a MPLS label is used as a PW Demultiplexer, setting of the TTL   value [RFC3032] in the PW label is application specific.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 27]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20056.2.  Fragmentation   If the PSN provides a fragmentation and reassembly service of   adequate performance, it may be used to obtain an effective MTU that   is large enough to transport the PW PDUs.  Seesection 5.3 for a full   discussion of the PW fragmentation issues.6.3.  Length and Delivery   PDU delivery to the egress PE is the function of the PSN Layer.   If the underlying PSN does not provide all the information necessary   to determine the length of a PW-PDU, the Encapsulation Layer must   provide it.6.4.  PW-PDU Validation   It is a common practice to use an error detection mechanism such as a   CRC or similar mechanism to ensure end-to-end integrity of frames.   The PW service-specific mechanisms must define whether the packet's   checksum shall be preserved across the PW or be removed from PE-bound   PDUs and then be recalculated for insertion in CE-bound data.   The former approach saves work, whereas the latter saves bandwidth.   For a given implementation, the choice may be dictated by hardware   restrictions, which may not allow the preservation of the checksum.   For protocols such as ATM and FR, the scope of the checksum is   restricted to a single link.  This is because the circuit identifiers   (e.g., FR DLCI or ATM VPI/VCI) only have local significance and are   changed on each hop or span.  If the circuit identifier (and thus   checksum) were going to change as part of the PW emulation, it would   be more efficient to strip and recalculate the checksum.   The service-specific document for each protocol must describe the   validation scheme to be used.6.5.  Congestion Considerations   The PSN carrying the PW may be subject to congestion.  The congestion   characteristics will vary with the PSN type, the network architecture   and configuration, and the loading of the PSN.   If the traffic carried over the PW is known to be TCP friendly (by,   for example, packet inspection), packet discard in the PSN will   trigger the necessary reduction in offered load, and no additional   congestion avoidance action is necessary.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 28]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   If the PW is operating over a PSN that provides enhanced delivery,   the PEs should monitor packet loss to ensure that the requested   service is actually being delivered.  If it is not, then the PE   should assume that the PSN is providing a best-effort service and   should use the best-effort service congestion avoidance measures   described below.   If best-effort service is being used and the traffic is not known to   be TCP friendly, the PEs should monitor packet loss to ensure that   the loss rate is within acceptable parameters.  Packet loss is   considered acceptable if a TCP flow across the same network path and   experiencing the same network conditions would achieve an average   throughput, measured on a reasonable timescale, not less than that   which the PW flow is achieving.  This condition can be satisfied by   implementing a rate-limiting measure in the NSP, or by shutting down   one or more PWs.  The choice of which approach to use depends upon   the type of traffic being carried.  Where congestion is avoided by   shutting down a PW, a suitable mechanism must be provided to prevent   it from immediately returning to service and causing a series of   congestion pulses.   The comparison to TCP cannot be specified exactly but is intended as   an "order-of-magnitude" comparison in timescale and throughput.  The   timescale on which TCP throughput is measured is the round-trip time   of the connection.  In essence, this requirement states that it is   not acceptable to deploy an application (using PWE3 or any other   transport protocol) on the best-effort Internet, which consumes   bandwidth arbitrarily and does not compete fairly with TCP within an   order of magnitude.  One method of determining an acceptable PW   bandwidth is described in [RFC3448].7.  Control Plane   This section describes PWE3 control plane services.7.1.  Setup or Teardown of Pseudo Wires   A PW must be set up before an emulated service can be established and   must be torn down when an emulated service is no longer needed.   Setup or teardown of a PW can be triggered by an operator command,   from the management plane of a PE, by signaling set-up or teardown of   an AC (e.g., an ATM SVC), or by an auto-discovery mechanism.   During the setup process, the PEs have to exchange information (e.g.,   learn each other's capabilities).  The tunnel signaling protocol may   be extended to provide mechanisms that enable the PEs to exchange all   necessary information on behalf of the PW.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 29]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Manual configuration of PWs can be considered a special kind of   signaling and is allowed.7.2.  Status Monitoring   Some native services have mechanisms for status monitoring.  For   example, ATM supports OAM for this purpose.  For these services, the   corresponding emulated services must specify how to perform status   monitoring.7.3.  Notification of Pseudo Wire Status Changes7.3.1.  Pseudo Wire Up/Down Notification   If a native service requires bi-directional connectivity, the   corresponding emulated service can only be signaled as being up when   the PW and PSN tunnels (if used), are functional in both directions.   Because the two CEs of an emulated service are not adjacent, a   failure may occur at a place so that one or both physical links   between the CEs and PEs remain up.  For example, in Figure 2, if the   physical link between CE1 and PE1 fails, the physical link between   CE2 and PE2 will not be affected and will remain up.  Unless CE2 is   notified about the remote failure, it will continue to send traffic   over the emulated service to CE1.  Such traffic will be discarded at   PE1.  Some native services have failure notification so that when the   services fail, both CEs will be notified.  For these native services,   the corresponding PWE3 service must provide a failure notification   mechanism.   Similarly, if a native service has notification mechanisms so that   all the affected services will change status from "Down" to "Up" when   a network failure is fixed, the corresponding emulated service must   provide a similar mechanism for doing so.   These mechanisms may already be built into the tunneling protocol.   For example, the L2TP control protocol [RFC2661] [RFC3931] has this   capability, and LDP has the ability to withdraw the corresponding   MPLS label.7.3.2.  Misconnection and Payload Type Mismatch   With PWE3, misconnection and payload type mismatch can occur.   Misconnection can breach the integrity of the system.  Payload   mismatch can disrupt the customer network.  In both instances, there   are security and operational concerns.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 30]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   The services of the underlying tunneling mechanism and its associated   control protocol can be used to mitigate this.  As part of the PW   setup, a PW-TYPE identifier is exchanged.  This is then used by the   forwarder and the NSP to verify the compatibility of the ACs.7.3.3.  Packet Loss, Corruption, and Out-of-Order Delivery   A PW can incur packet loss, corruption, and out-of-order delivery on   the PSN path between the PEs.  This can affect the working condition   of an emulated service.  For some payload types, packet loss,   corruption, and out-of-order delivery can be mapped either to a bit   error burst, or to loss of carrier on the PW.  If a native service   has some mechanism to deal with bit error, the corresponding PWE3   service should provide a similar mechanism.7.3.4.  Other Status Notification   A PWE3 approach may provide a mechanism for other status   notifications, if any are needed.7.3.5.  Collective Status Notification   The status of a group of emulated services may be affected   identically by a single network incident.  For example, when the   physical link (or sub-network) between a CE and a PE fails, all the   emulated services that go through that link (or sub-network) will   fail.  It is likely that a group of emulated services all terminate   at a remote CE.  There may also be multiple such CEs affected by the   failure.  Therefore, it is desirable that a single notification   message be used to notify failure of the whole group of emulated   services.   A PWE3 approach may provide a mechanism for notifying status changes   of a group of emulated circuits.  One possible method is to associate   each emulated service with a group ID when the PW for that emulated   service is set up.  Multiple emulated services can then be grouped by   associating them with the same group ID.  In status notification,   this group ID can be used to refer all the emulated services in that   group.  The group ID mechanism should be a mechanism provided by the   underlying tunnel signaling protocol.7.4.  Keep-Alive   If a native service has a keep-alive mechanism, the corresponding   emulated service must provide a mechanism to propagate it across the   PW.  Transparently transporting keep-alive messages over the PW would   follow the principle of minimum intervention.  However, to reproduceBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 31]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   the semantics of the native mechanism accurately, some PWs may   require an alternative approach, such as piggy-backing on the PW   signaling mechanism.7.5.  Handling Control Messages of the Native Services   Some native services use control messages for circuit maintenance.   These control messages may be in-band (e.g., Ethernet flow control,   ATM performance management, or TDM tone signaling) or out-of-band,   (e.g., the signaling VC of an ATM VP, or TDM CCS signaling).   Given the principle of minimum intervention, it is desirable that the   PEs participate as little as possible in the signaling and   maintenance of the native services.  This principle should not,   however, override the need to emulate the native service   satisfactorily.   If control messages are passed through, it may be desirable to send   them by using either a higher priority or a reliable channel provided   by the PW Demultiplexer layer.  SeeSection 5.1.2, PWE3 Channel   Types.8.  Management and Monitoring   This section describes the management and monitoring architecture for   PWE3.8.1.  Status and Statistics   The PE should report the status of the interface and tabulate   statistics that help monitor the state of the network and help   measure service-level agreements (SLAs).  Typical counters include   the following:       o Counts of PW-PDUs sent and received, with and without errors.       o Counts of sequenced PW-PDUs lost.       o Counts of service PDUs sent and received over the PSN, with and         without errors (non-TDM).       o Service-specific interface counts.       o One-way delay and delay variation.   These counters would be contained in a PW-specific MIB, and they   should not replicate existing MIB counters.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 32]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20058.2.  PW SNMP MIB Architecture   This section describes the general architecture for SNMP MIBs used to   manage PW services and the underlying PSN.  The intent here is to   provide a clear picture of how all the pertinent MIBs fit together to   form a cohesive management framework for deploying PWE3 services.   Note that the names of MIB modules used below are suggestions and do   not necessarily require that the actual modules used to realize the   components in the architecture be named exactly so.8.2.1.  MIB Layering   The SNMP MIBs created for PWE3 should fit the architecture shown in   Figure 12.  The architecture provides a layered modular model into   which any supported emulated service can be connected to any   supported PSN type.  This model fosters reuse of as much   functionality as possible.  For instance, the emulated service layer   MIB modules do not redefine the existing emulated service MIB module;   rather, they only associate it with the pseudo wires used to carry   the emulated service over the configured PSN.  In this way, the PWE3   MIB architecture follows the overall PWE3 architecture.   The architecture does allow for the joining of unsupported emulated   service or PSN types by simply defining additional MIB modules to   associate new types with existing ones.  These new modules can   subsequently be standardized.  Note that there is a separate MIB   module for each emulated service, as well as one for each underlying   PSN.  These MIB modules may be used in various combinations as   needed.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 33]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005       Native    Service MIBs    ...           ...               ...                     |             |                 |               +-----------+ +-----------+     +-----------+     Service   |    CEP    | | Ethernet  |     |    ATM    |      Layer    |Service MIB| |Service MIB| ... |Service MIB|               +-----------+ +-----------+     +-----------+                       \           |             /                         \         |           /   - - - - - - - - - - - - \ - - - | - - - - / - - - - - - -                             \     |       /               +-------------------------------------------+    Generic PW |            Generic PW MIBs                |      Layer    +-------------------------------------------+                            /             \   - - - - - - - - - - - - / - - - - - - - - \ - - - - - - -                         /                     \                       /                         \               +--------------+             +----------------+     PSN VC    |L2TP VC MIB(s)|             | MPLS VC MIB(s) |      Layer    +--------------+             +----------------+                      |                              |     Native     +-----------+                  +-----------+      PSN       |L2TP MIB(s)|                  |MPLS MIB(s)|      MIBs      +-----------+                  +-----------+               Figure 12.  MIB Module Layering RelationshipBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 34]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Figure 13 shows an example for a SONET PW carried over MPLS Traffic   Engineering Tunnel and an LDP-signaled LSP.                            +-----------------+                            |    SONET MIB    |RFC3592                            +-----------------+                                     |                       +------------------------------+            Service    | Circuit Emulation Service MIB|             Layer     +------------------------------+           - - - - - - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - - - - - -                            +-----------------+           Generic PW       | Generic PW MIB  |             Layer          +-----------------+           - - - - - - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - - - - - -                            +-----------------+             PSN VC         |   MPLS VC MIBs  |             Layer          +-----------------+                               |           |                  +-----------------+  +------------------+                  | MPLS-TE-STD-MIB |  | MPLS-LSR-STD-MIB |                  +-----------------+  +------------------+            Figure 13.  SONET PW over MPLS PSN Service-Specific Example8.2.2.  Service Layer MIB Modules   This conceptual layer in the model contains MIB modules used to   represent the relationship between emulated PWE3 services such as   Ethernet, ATM, or Frame Relay and the pseudo-wire used to carry that   service across the PSN.  This layer contains corresponding MIB   modules used to mate or adapt those emulated services to the generic   pseudo-wire representation these are represented in the "Generic PW   MIB" functional block in Figure 13 above.  This working group should   not produce any MIB modules for managing the general service; rather,   it should produce just those modules used to interface or adapt the   emulated service onto the PWE3 management framework as shown above.   For example, the standard SONET-MIB [RFC3592] is designed and   maintained by another working group.  The SONET-MIB is designed to   manage the native service without PW emulation.  However, the PWE3   working group is chartered to produce standards that show how to   emulate existing technologies such as SONET/SDH over pseudo-wires   rather than reinvent those modules.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 35]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20058.2.3.  Generic PW MIB Modules   The middle layer in the architecture is referred to as the Generic PW   Layer.  MIBs in this layer are responsible for providing pseudo-wire   specific counters and service models used for monitoring and   configuration of PWE3 services over any supported PSN service.  That   is, this layer provides a general model of PWE3 abstraction for   management purposes.  This MIB is used to interconnect the MIB   modules residing in the Service Layer to the PSN VC Layer MIBs (seesection 8.2.4).8.2.4.  PSN VC Layer MIB Modules   The third layer in the PWE3 management architecture is referred to as   the PSN VC Layer.  It is composed of MIBs that are specifically   designed to associate pseudo-wires onto those underlying PSN   transport technologies that carry the pseudo-wire payloads across the   PSN.  In general, this means that the MIB module provides a mapping   between the emulated service that is mapped to the pseudo-wire via   the Service Layer and the Generic PW MIB Layer onto the native PSN   service.  For example, in the case of MPLS, for example, it is   required that the general VC service be mapped into MPLS LSPs via the   MPLS-LSR-STD-MIB [RFC3813] or Traffic-Engineered (TE) Tunnels via the   MPLS-TE-STD-MIB [RFC3812].  In addition, the MPLS-LDP-STD-MIB   [RFC3815] may be used to reveal the MPLS labels that are distributed   over the MPLS PSN in order to maintain the PW service.  As with the   native service MIB modules described earlier, the MIB modules used to   manage the native PSN services are produced by other working groups   that design and specify the native PSN services.  These MIBs should   contain the appropriate mechanisms for monitoring and configuring the   PSN service that the emulated PWE3 service will function correctly.8.3.  Connection Verification and Traceroute   A connection verification mechanism should be supported by PWs.   Connection verification and other alarm mechanisms can alert the   operator that a PW has lost its remote connection.  The opaque nature   of a PW means that it is not possible to specify a generic connection   verification or traceroute mechanism that passes this status to the   CEs over the PW.  If connection verification status of the PW is   needed by the CE, it must be mapped to the native connection status   method.   For troubleshooting purposes, it is sometimes desirable to know the   exact functional path of a PW between PEs.  This is provided by the   traceroute service of the underlying PSN.  The opaque nature of the   PW means that this traceroute information is only available within   the provider network; e.g., at the PEs.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 36]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 20059.  IANA Considerations   IANA considerations will be identified in the PWE3 documents that   define the PWE3 encapsulation, control, and management protocols.10.  Security Considerations   PWE3 provides no means of protecting the integrity, confidentiality,   or delivery of the native data units.  The use of PWE3 can therefore   expose a particular environment to additional security threats.   Assumptions that might be appropriate when all communicating systems   are interconnected via a point-to-point or circuit-switched network   may no longer hold when they are interconnected with an emulated wire   carried over some types of PSN.  It is outside the scope of this   specification to fully analyze and review the risks of PWE3,   particularly as these risks will depend on the PSN.  An example   should make the concern clear.  A number of IETF standards employ   relatively weak security mechanisms when communicating nodes are   expected to be connected to the same local area network.  The Virtual   Router Redundancy Protocol [RFC3768] is one instance.  The relatively   weak security mechanisms represent a greater vulnerability in an   emulated Ethernet connected via a PW.   Exploitation of vulnerabilities from within the PSN may be directed   to the PW Tunnel end point so that PW Demultiplexer and PSN tunnel   services are disrupted.  Controlling PSN access to the PW Tunnel end   point is one way to protect against this.  By restricting PW Tunnel   end point access to legitimate remote PE sources of traffic, the PE   may reject traffic that would interfere with the PW Demultiplexing   and PSN tunnel services.   Protection mechanisms must also address the spoofing of tunneled PW   data.  The validation of traffic addressed to the PW Demultiplexer   end-point is paramount in ensuring integrity of PW encapsulation.   Security protocols such as IPSec [RFC2401] may be used by the PW   Demultiplexer Layer in order provide authentication and data   integrity of the data between the PW Demultiplexer End-points.   IPSec may provide authentication, integrity, and confidentiality, of   data transferred between two PEs.  It cannot provide the equivalent   services to the native service.   Based on the type of data being transferred, the PW may indicate to   the PW Demultiplexer Layer that enhanced security services are   required.  The PW Demultiplexer Layer may define multiple protection   profiles based on the requirements of the PW emulated service.  CE-   to-CE signaling and control events emulated by the PW and some data   types may require additional protection mechanisms.  Alternatively,Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 37]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   the PW Demultiplexer Layer may use peer authentication for every PSN   packet to prevent spoofed native data units from being sent to the   destination CE.   The unlimited transformation capability of the NSP may be perceived   as a security risk.  In practice the type of operation that the NSP   may perform will be limited to those that have been implemented in   the data path.  A PE designed and managed to best current practice   will have controls in place that protect and validate its   configuration, and these will be sufficient to ensure that the NSP   behaves as expected.11.  Acknowledgements   We thank Sasha Vainshtein for his work on Native Service Processing   and advice on bit stream over PW services and Thomas K. Johnson for   his work on the background and motivation for PWs.   We also thank Ron Bonica, Stephen Casner, Durai Chinnaiah, Jayakumar   Jayakumar, Ghassem Koleyni, Danny McPherson, Eric Rosen, John   Rutemiller, Scott Wainner, and David Zelig for their comments and   contributions.12.  References12.1.  Normative References   [RFC3931]   Lau, J., Townsley, M., and I. Goyret, "Layer Two               Tunneling Protocol - Version 3 (L2TPv3),RFC 3931, March               2005.   [RFC768]    Postel, J., "User Datagram Protocol", STD 6,RFC 768,               August 1980.   [RFC2401]   Kent, S. and R. Atkinson, "Security Architecture for the               Internet Protocol",RFC 2401, November 1998.   [RFC2474]   Nichols, K., Blake, S., Baker, F., and D. Black,               "Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS               Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers",RFC 2474, December               1998.   [RFC3592]   Tesink, K., "Definitions of Managed Objects for the               Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy               (SONET/SDH) Interface Type",RFC 3592, September 2003.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 38]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   [RFC2661]   Townsley, W., Valencia, A., Rubens, A., Pall, G., Zorn,               G., and B. Palter, "Layer Two Tunneling Protocol "L2TP"",RFC 2661, August 1999.   [RFC2784]   Farinacci, D., Li, T., Hanks, S., Meyer, D., and P.               Traina, "Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)",RFC 2784,               March 2000.   [RFC2890]   Dommety, G., "Key and Sequence Number Extensions to GRE",RFC 2890, September 2000.   [RFC3032]   Rosen, E., Tappan, D., Fedorkow, G., Rekhter, Y.,               Farinacci, D., Li, T., and A. Conta, "MPLS Label Stack               Encoding",RFC 3032, January 2001.   [RFC3550]   Schulzrinne, H.,  Casner, S., Frederick, R., and V.               Jacobson, "RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time               Applications", STD 64,RFC 3550, July 2003.12.2. Informative References   [DVB]       EN 300 744 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Framing               structure, channel coding and modulation for digital               terrestrial television (DVB-T), European               Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).   [RFC3815]   Cucchiara, J., Sjostrand, H., and J. Luciani,               "Definitions of Managed Objects for the Multiprotocol               Label Switching (MPLS), Label Distribution Protocol               (LDP)",RFC 3815, June 2004.   [RFC3813]   Srinivasan, C., Viswanathan, A., and T. Nadeau,               "Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switching               Router (LSR) Management Information Base (MIB)",RFC3813, June 2004.   [MPLSIP]    Rosen et al, "Encapsulating MPLS in IP or Generic Routing               Encapsulation (GRE)", Work in Progress, March 2004.   [RFC1191]   Mogul, J. and S. Deering, "Path MTU discovery",RFC 1191,               November 1990.   [RFC1958]   Carpenter, B., "Architectural Principles of the               Internet",RFC 1958, June 1996.   [RFC1981]   McCann, J., Deering, S., and J. Mogul, "Path MTU               Discovery for IP version 6",RFC 1981, August 1996.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 39]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   [RFC2022]   Armitage, G., "Support for Multicast over UNI 3.0/3.1               based ATM Networks",RFC 2022, November 1996.   [RFC3768]   Hinden, R., "Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)",RFC 3768, April 2004.   [RFC3022]   Srisuresh, P. and K. Egevang, "Traditional IP Network               Address Translator (Traditional NAT)",RFC 3022, January               2001.   [RFC3448]   Handley, M., Floyd, S., Padhye, J., and J. Widmer, "TCP               Friendly Rate Control (TFRC): Protocol Specification",RFC 3448, January 2003.   [RFC3812]   Srinivasan, C., Viswanathan, A., and T. Nadeau,               "Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Traffic Engineering               (TE) Management Information Base (MIB)",RFC 3812, June               2004.   [RFC3916]   Xiao, X., McPherson, D., and P. Pate, Eds, "Requirements               for Pseudo-Wire Emulation Edge-to-Edge (PWE3)",RFC 3916,               September 2004.13.  Co-Authors   The following are co-authors of this document:   Thomas K. Johnson   Litchfield Communications   Kireeti Kompella   Juniper Networks, Inc.   Andrew G. Malis   Tellabs   Thomas D. Nadeau   Cisco Systems   Tricci So   Caspian Networks   W. Mark Townsley   Cisco SystemsBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 40]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005   Craig White   Level 3 Communications, LLC.   Lloyd Wood   Cisco Systems14.  Editors' Addresses   Stewart Bryant   Cisco Systems   250, Longwater   Green Park   Reading, RG2 6GB,   United Kingdom   EMail: stbryant@cisco.com   Prayson Pate   Overture Networks, Inc.   507 Airport Boulevard   Morrisville, NC, USA 27560   EMail: prayson.pate@overturenetworks.comBryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 41]

RFC 3985                   PWE3 Architecture                  March 2005Full Copyright Statement   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).   This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions   contained inBCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors   retain all their rights.   This document and the information contained herein are provided on an   "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS   OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET   ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,   INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE   INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED   WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.Intellectual Property   The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any   Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to   pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in   this document or the extent to which any license under such rights   might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has   made any independent effort to identify any such rights.  Information   on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be   found inBCP 78 andBCP 79.   Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any   assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an   attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of   such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this   specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository athttp://www.ietf.org/ipr.   The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any   copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary   rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement   this standard.  Please address the information to the IETF at ietf-   ipr@ietf.org.Acknowledgement   Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the   Internet Society.Bryant & Pate               Standards Track                    [Page 42]

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